1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drive assemblies and in particular to gear drive assemblies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,296 of Douglas W. Eggins, it has been conventional to provide a drive assembly wherein a large gear wheel is driven by split pinions which are relatively movable to each other to change the effective loading of the respective pinions as compensation for irregularities in the large gear wheel.
Frank Fagarazzi, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,534, shows an antilash gear mechanism including a helical driven gear adapted to remain in constant mesh with a helical driving gear and a helical antilash gear axially coaligned with the driven gear and loosely mounted on one side thereof so that relative angular movement may occur between the antilash and driven gears. Spring means are provided for opposing undesirable axial separation between the gears.
It has further been conventional to provide indexed coworking gears for shifting loads from a gear in a position along the line of action. Such indexing may conventionally have been accomplished by the use of spline hubs which have presented the problem of wear and backlash.